Ninth Island Sauvignon Blanc

Ninth Island, although often shrouded by ocean mists, is visible from our Pipers Brook vineyard in northern Tasmania. The island name has been used for our range of fresh, early drinking wines that capture the distinctive cool-climate flavours and nature of Tasmania. The 2010 growing season was characterised by almost perfect conditions for flowering and fruit set, followed by long, warm summer days which were beneficial for ripening. As a result of well balanced vines, the small bunches and berries have contributed to our Sauvignon Blanc achieving full flavour ripeness with soft expressive tropical aromatics and only subtle underlying herbaceous tones distinctive of the variety when grown in a cool climate. The grapes were grown on a mixture of the Brown Chromosol and Vertosol soils (Black Cracking Clays) of our Tamar Valley vineyards. Both soil types have excellent water holding capacity, offering a steady supply of moisture and nourishment to the vines throughout the growing season.

Sauvignon Blanc is perfectly suited to the cool maritime climate of northern Tasmania and the banks of the Tamar River; our vineyards consistently achieve good fruit flavours and varietal balance. The grapes were harvested in mid April from medium cropping vines which are spur pruned and grown on Vertical Shoot positioned trellis. This helps to expose the ripening bunches to the sun, thus achieving full ripeness and well-balanced flavours. Our aim in the winemaking of this style is to maximise all the natural cool climate flavours and aroma’s by expressing all the rich and ripe tropical nature of the variety, with its balanced underlying soft herbaceous tones. The grapes are cold harvested and carefully de-stemmed then crushed using full protective handling techniques that avoid any juice oxidation or browning, hence protecting the natural vibrant flavours. The juice is then brightly clarified and fermented very slowly at cool temperatures in our stainless steel vats. To maximise the retention of aromatics, the resultant wine is then bottled early under screwcap, producing a style that is intensely aromatic, fruit driven with a well-integrated crisp acid cleansing finish.

Tasting Notes

Colour : Pale lemon hue

Bouquet : A lifted floral bouquet of daffodils, and the soft sweet aroma of cherry blossom. The perfume is mineralised, lifted and elegant - almost talc like; with underlying tones of fresh fruits such as gooseberry, pineapple, passion fruit, and lemon custard, finishing with a hint of mango and the
sweet grassy aroma of dill.

Palate : Medium bodied, well-balanced and soft structured palate, the flavours are long and flowing, with expressive lush tropical fruits, lemon meringue pie, banana passion fruit and sweet baby corn, all nicely balanced by varietal savoury notes and the fresh crisp cleansing acid, which provides tightness to the finish, whilst the fruit remains delicate and lingering.

Service : A Sauvignon Blanc made for your enjoyment, drinks extremely well on its own, yet versatile enough to match with a wide array of different appetizers & cuisine; antipasto platters, summer salads, grilled pork loin, fried goats cheese salad.

Product Information

Vintage : Current Vintage
Region : Pipers River and Tamar River, Tasmania
Type : Sauvignon Blanc
Alcohol % : 13.5%
Size : 750ml